Dan Marino set the NFL record for passing yardage in a single season in 1984, finishing with 5,094. Through San Diego’s 3-5 start this season, quarterback Philip Rivers is more than halfway there, already with 2,649 yards.

“I haven’t heard too much of it yet,” Rivers said Wednesday.

The NFL record for receiving yards by a tight end in a single season is 1,290, which was established by Kellen Winslow in 1980. Through the Chargers’ first eight games, Antonio Gates is more than halfway there, already with 663 yards.

Given what we already know about the Texans’ shell-shocked secondary, those numbers are likely to swell Sunday when the teams meet at Reliant Stadium.

No shame there, said Texans coach Gary Kubiak, who was effusive in his praise of the duo.

“Right now, he’s playing about as good as I’ve seen anybody play,” he said of Rivers. “I love the way this kid competes. He’s really a fireball on the football field.”

As for Gates, the 6-5, 260-pound former basketball player, Kubiak said it’s almost not fair.

“He’s a huge mismatch for linebackers and safeties,” he said. “Norv (Turner) plays him all over the place. He’s a very smart young man, so that makes it even more difficult.

“He’ll be the best we’ve faced this year.”

No rest for the injured

While the Texans would probably have a difficult time slowing Gates, injuries might limit or sideline the star tight end. Plagued by left toe and ankle issues all season, Gates added plantar fasciitis to his ailments during Sunday’s 33-25 victory over Tennessee. His status for this weekend is uncertain.

It all flared up during an Oct. 24 loss to New England, after which Gates said, “My (right) foot was on fire.” He was unable to walk eight days later, taken to his car in a cart.

In between, of course, he managed to haul in five passes for 123 yards and a touchdown against the Titans.

“Antonio is in a lot of pain,” Turner said. “He was in a lot of pain Saturday before the game, and he was in more pain Monday after the game. It’s pretty amazing to me what he did. Sunday, he knew we needed him to find a way to win a game and to keep in this thing.

“He’s one of the more remarkable guys I’ve ever been around.”

Rivers isn’t exactly a slouch. He has been beating himself up for his team’s sub-.500 record, but it has hardly been his fault — turnovers have hindered the Chargers.

More than numbers game

That’s why he cautions against reading too much into the numbers — San Diego is No. 1 in a slew of offensive categories. Yet, the Chargers are 3-5. Conversely, the Texans are at or near the bottom in a variety of defensive statistics, but they have a winning record at 4-3.

“You look at the statistics of this defense and I think it could be misleading,” Rivers said. “When I turn on the tape and watch the things they do, they certainly don’t look like what the statistics say.”